Intro/About:

Lamy has taken their iconic 2000 design and crafted a version made from stainless steel. It’s significantly heavier than the makrolon version, but much about the two versions are the same. I opted for the broad nib (what is going on with me, last two pens I bought were broad-nibbed!?) and so far so good. The original Lamy 2000 is my all time favorite pen, read on to see how the stainless steel version holds up!

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Make sure to check out the gallery at the bottom of the review, featuring several full-sized photos of the Lamy 2000 Stainless!

Appearance & Packaging:

The 2000SS comes in a minimalistic cardboard box. It looks cool and suits the design of the pen quite well. The pen itself looks sleek, streamlined, and even more unified than the orginal two-tone makrolon version. The brushed stainless steel body really suits the shape of the 2000 well, resulting in a handsome writing instrument. The gentle curves of the pen are pleasing to both the eye and the hand. The clip on the SS version is high polish steel, unlike the brushed version on the makrolon.

The mirror finish nicely compliments the brushed surface of the pen, but watch out as it does tend to pick up scratches easily. Unlike the nearly invisible seams on the original, those on the stainless steel version are slightly more visible. It’s completely understandable, as stainless is notorious for it’s difficulty to be machined. The 2000 is one of my favorite designs out there, and not just for pens. I’m happy to have both the stainless and original version in my collection. I can’t say which one I prefer because they’re both great in their own ways.

Nib Performance & Filling System:

I absolutely love the broad nib in my Lamy 2000. It’s known that they tend to be finicky, but I have had no problems with this one. It has excellent ink flow and it is glassy smooth on paper. The pen does have a little bit of a sweet spot, but the broad size makes it easy to find. The smoothness and flow are almost like a marker. The pen writes wet and that definitely contributes to the smooth writing experience. I think this is my favorite broad nib, edging out even the Pelikan M805 Stresemann I reviewed a few weeks back.

The Lamy 2000 SS employs a piston filling mechanism like it’s counterpart. The piston knob is smooth and the pen easily draws up around 2ml of ink. This does tend to go a little fast in the broad nib. The fact that the nib is mostly hidden by the grip actually makes it easier to fill the pen fully and without mess. My one gripe with the pen is that there’s no ink window to see what you have in there. Should I have opted for a fine or extra fine nib, I wouldn’t worry, but the ink-thirsty broad nib drains the pen pretty quickly. In terms of overall aesthetic of the pen, and ink window would be out of place. I don’t mind that it’s not there, but maybe fill it up before you head out to an important meeting or long class.

Feel:

The Lamy 2000 fits my hand like a glove. The contoured shape is comfortable and the tapered grip allows the writer to either choke up or grip further back depending on preference. I write with the makrolon version posted, but the stainless is WAY more comfortable to me when uncapped. The 54g weight is a bit much when you’re holding the body and cap, but is much more manageable unposted. The cap throws off the balance considerably.

I’ve also found the body to be a bit slippery, despite the fact that the grips are both stainless steel in both models. The makrolon body coupled with the lighter weight helps keep the pen in hand a bit better. I’ve also found myself gripping this pen a little bit harder than I may with others, perhaps because of the weight. Also worth noting is the presence of the seams between the grip section and body. They’re slightly more pronounced than I’d like. A small, yet still bothersome detail is the vertical play in the clip. The makrolon version has zero and this has a distinct wiggle. For a pen of this price I would definitely like to see the fit and finish taken up another notch.

Pros:

Cons:

– Finishing could be better
– No ink window

Conclusion:

The original Lamy 2000 is my favorite pen. At this point, I’m pretty sure I could sell off my entire collection, save the Lamy, and be completely content. The SS version is definitely a great compliment to the original, but it’s not a replacement. The SS 2000 is not without faults, but I’m still a huge fan of the pen. If you’re like me and love the makrolon version, the stainless would definitely make a great addition to your collection. The broad nib was great straight out of the box, putting down a ton of ink. I’ve been drooling over this pen for what feels like years, and it’s definitely not a let down.

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3 thoughts on “Lamy 2000 Stainless Steel Fountain Pen Review”

What a great review of a great pen! I agree with your view of how the stainless version relates to the original Makrolon edition. The “L2k” seems to be both the most rewarding and most frustrating pen for me: most rewarding because it’s simply the best – I have 3 Makrolons and one ss, and all of them were excellent out-of-the-box performers; most frustrating beacuse why buy all those other pens that cost a multiple of the price of a 2000 if none of them are better than the Lamy 2k? 🙂

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